How to read pump and dump signals
Updated 06.11.2026
A pump is a sharp rise in price within a few minutes; a dump is an equally sharp fall. On crypto futures they happen dozens of times a day — on news, large orders, liquidation cascades. A macry signal tells you about such a move while it is happening. What to do next depends on the context, and this guide shows what to look at.
How macry detects a pump or a dump
- Every 5 seconds the site checks one-minute candles of the most liquid USDT perpetual contracts on Bybit and Binance.
- A pump is a rise of 3% or more over the last 5 minutes; a dump is a fall of 3% or more.
- Coins with less than $5M of daily turnover give no signals: on a thin market such moves are mostly noise.
- After a signal the pair stays quiet for 30 minutes so that one move does not produce a dozen signals. If the move grows by one more threshold, a new signal arrives.
- These are the base thresholds. In your account you can set stricter ones — for example, only pumps of 7% or more.
What a signal contains
The coin and the exchange, the size of the 5-minute move, the price at the moment of the signal and the time. On the chart the signal is marked on its candle, so you can see where the move started and where the price went afterwards.
Continuation or reversal
A pump on its own does not tell where the price will go next. Two scenarios are the most common:
- Continuation. The move comes with growing volume and growing open interest, candles close near their highs, and the nearest strong level above is far away. This is how the start of a trend after news or a breakout often looks.
- Pullback. The price runs into a strong level, volume fades and open interest falls — the move was driven by positions being closed (for example, shorts buying back on their stops). After such a pump the price often gives back part of the move.
So a pump signal is a reason to open the chart and check three things: volume, open interest and the nearest levels. See the guides on open interest, volume spikes and strong levels.
Checking a signal in a minute
- Open the coin's chart and see where the move came from: a tight range or the end of a long rally.
- Look at volume: a volume spike in the same minutes confirms real interest in the move.
- Look at open interest: if it grows together with the price, new positions are entering the move.
- Find the nearest strong level in the direction of the move: the price often reacts to it.
- Decide in advance where you exit if the idea fails. High volatility after a pump is both an opportunity and a risk.
How macry scores a signal
After 15 minutes, 1 hour and 4 hours the site records where the price went. A signal “worked” if the price moved in its direction: higher after a pump, lower after a dump. The best move in the signal's direction within 4 hours is recorded too. The statistics are below and on the results page — so you can see how pumps and dumps actually played out, not just read about them.
Common mistakes
- Buying at the top of a pump without an exit plan: the price often pulls back right after the signal.
- Reading a signal without context: time of day, news, what Bitcoin and the whole market are doing.
- Trading coins with low turnover: the spread and slippage eat the move.
- Treating every signal as an entry. A signal is an alert that something is happening, not a trade recommendation.
On the free plan signals arrive 60 minutes late; with Pro they arrive immediately — on the website, in the browser and in Telegram.